Down the Rabbit Hole
by TelevisionOverload
Summary: Alice was only 5 when she found her way to Wonderland, 5 1/2 when she left. Alice was 6 when went back, 2 months later that she got home. Her Father thought she was insane, and he sent her to an asylum. They tried to make her stop believing in anything, and almost succeeded. She was rescued by the Knave and Rabbit. PREVIOUSLY HOW TO EXPLAIN! I decided to do it by episodes instead.
1. Chapter 1: Why don't you believe me

**This is Little Alice, the cute little blond girl at the beginning. I'm making this her first return trip to Wonderland, I'm saying it was later that year, and I'm making her 6. Whenever I put cute little kids in my stories, they're either 4 or 6. I don't know much about the book, other than I own it, and it's Somewhere in one of many dusty boxes. By the way, this is going to be something between OUaT and Wonderland. Alice doesn't spend a long time in an asylum. She only spends around 6 months there. When she first goes to Wonderland, it's her 5th birthday. When she finally comes back, she's 5 ½. On her 6th birthday, she goes to find the Rabbit. After 2 months, she returns home and her Father believes her to be insane. It's that month when he takes her to the asylum. She's only there until she's 6 ½ before she's broken out by The Knave and White Rabbit. Then they go back to Wonderland, because that's the only way he can take her to Storybrooke. She winds up caught in the Red Queen and Jafar's even scheme, because Cyrus is still her Genie, but she's not in love with him. She winds up in Storybrooke for after a while.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. If I did, well, this would be what actually happened in the show.**

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Chapter 1: Why don't you believe me?

I ran through the woods as quickly as I could. I needed to move faster, I knew that I did. I couldn't get enough air, I couldn't breathe. I was close to tears as it was; I had helped the new barbarian of wonderland. For some reason both queens wanted to chop people's heads off. I needed to get away from them before I was too late. I didn't know how they were keeping up; I didn't know where the Hatter had gone. All I knew was the Rabbit was my last hope. "How much longer?" I yelled, panting as I couldn't speak very well. He wanted us to get to a peak spot. He thought that would be the best spot to get me home. "Alice I don't know!" He yelled. "Check—" I was about to tell him to check his watch. "Rabbit," I yelled instead, "We're late!" I said as loudly as I could. He glanced over to me as quickly as he could. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me down over the side of the embankment. "Dig!" I whispered quickly. Spears were coming in quickly; I needed to get out of there. I screamed loudly. He did as I said and whispered, "Go Alice go!" He yelled, motioning for me to go quickly. The soldiers were on top of the Rabbit by that point. I glanced back at the Rabbit and jumped through the portal.

Before I knew it I was in the field behind my house and abou feet below the ground. It took me sometime but I pulled myself out of the hole. I was too tired and I just lay there for a while. I didn't have the energy to walk back to the house. It was still pretty far away. I don't know how long I was out, but I do know I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was darker than it had been before. I brushed myself off and decided to head home. I reached into my bag and pulled out Cheshire's ribbon, one of the Hatter's Hats, and a small dagger I had been given by my new friends. I decided not to show him that, I knew he would take it away from me. I sheathed the dagger and placed it into my apron pocket. I smiled and ran back to the house, "Father!" I yelled loudly, trying not to repeat the last time this happened. I ran through the field quickly. I thought he would believe me. I knew that things were always going to be different from before I went to Wonderland. He always would think something was wrong with me; he wanted my Mother, not me. I ran back to the house as quickly as I could, hoping he wouldn't think I was crazy.

I knocked on the door as hard as I could, "Father, I'm back." I yelled, "I'm back, I'm back, I'm back." I said, pounding on the door. He threw the door open, "Alice." He said, sounding relieved that I came back. "Father, I have proof." I said, smiling. He just shook his head and brought me to the library, where his friends were waiting. "Alice, why did you run off again?" My Father asked. "Father, I didn't make it up. I was back in Wonderland." He didn't want to listen to me. "Alice, there is no Wonderland!" He yelled. "Yes there is Father!" I said, standing from my chair, "I know there is I can prove there is." He pushed me back into my chair and the air was knocked out of me. He didn't want to hear it, "Alice where were you?" He demanded. "I already told you!" I yelled again, he just wouldn't listen to me. "There is no Queen of Hearts! There is no Red Queen! There is no Mad Hatter! There is no Knave of Hearts! There is no Cheshire Cat! There is no White Rabbit! And there is no MAGIC!" He yelled as loud as he could. "Yes there is! You just don't believe in it! You just don't believe in me!" I screamed.

"ALICE, go to your room now!" He yelled, glancing over at his friends. "Fine, why should I care?" I yelled, running off to my room before he could land his blow on my. I didn't want to see my Father; I didn't want to be called delusional again. I wasn't delusional, and I could prove it. If he would have believed me, then I wouldn't have been thought of as insane. "I am not delusional." I said to myself. "I'm not delusional." I said again. I said it over and over. "I'm not delusional." I said, finally believing it myself. I wasn't delusional, I was Alice. I didn't have a last name anymore. If he wouldn't believe his own daughter, then he wasn't my Father. "I'm Alice, not delusional." I said to myself, finally believing myself. Soon enough I had enough bravery to say that to my Father. While he sat at his desk in the library, I walked in. His friends were sitting around conversing about his 'insane' daughter. I worked hard not to show any emotion, "I'm Alice." I said as calmly as I could, "And you're just going to deal with that."

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**Ok, so what do you think? Do you think this would work as a story. I thought it would be cool if little girl Alice got to grow up in Storybrooke instead of an asylum.**


	2. Chapter 2: 8 months earlier

**Ok, so here's chapter 2. I'm sick, and I hate school. I'm having serious writers block for Taken from Translation, so if you read that story, don't hold your breath.**

**The first chapter was after her second trip, this one's after her first trip to Wonderland.**

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Chapter 2: 8 months earlier

It had all started like this. I had been 5, my 5th birthday, when I first went to wonderland. I was 5 ½ when I got back. I had been away, for a long time. It had only been 6 months or less. Or they said it was a long time when I returned. It was only earlier this year when it happened. It happened like this, I was with my new friends, in Wonderland. My friends were The Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit. But my adventures had ended, and I wanted to go home. They didn't understand why at first. But the White Rabbit took me home; he made his portal, which left me in the middle of a field outside of my house. It was my garden, and it had my table of toys, which looked like they had been sitting out there a long time. I was halfway into the ground, "Home." I said, smiling. I had been away for a while. I stood there for a second, taking in the familiar sights. Then I took off out of the field and onto the dirt street. "Father!" I yelled, "Father!" I yelled again, "Father!" Then I ran towards the front of the door. "Father! Father!" I yelled, I tried to unlock the door, but I couldn't. I started pounding on the door. "Father it's me!" I yelled pounding on the door. "Come on Father!" I continued to pound on the door until he opened it.

He looked down at me, shocked that I was there. "You're never going to believe where I've been!" I yelled. "Alice?" He asked. I didn't seem to notice his shock at the time. "It all began with this white rabbit. And he wanted to take my hat and then I—" I rambled on, oblivious to what was in front of my face. "Alice...Is that really you?" He asked. "Who else would I be?" I asked, confused. "You were gone...a very long time. We thought you were..." He couldn't finish his own sentence. "You thought I was, what?" I asked, growing nervous. "Dead." He stated. My eyes grew wide, "You—you thought I was dead?" I whispered, not able to make my voice any louder. He nodded, "Yes Alice, we all did." He said quietly. I almost started to cry, "Alice." He said, taking me into his arms, "It's ok. You're ok." He struggled to calm me down, as he was about to cry himself. "Alice where were you?" He asked. I pulled away a little bit, "Father, I was in Wonderland." I said. "Where's Wonderland?" He asked, "I don't know." I said, shaking my head. "Alice, what was Wonderland?" He asked, taking me inside the house.

I started my magical tale and he didn't say anything. He just wandered into another room and talked to somebody over the phone. It was 1900 and we had just gotten a phone. I tried to listen in on their conversation, but I couldn't hear anything. He had been scaring me, so I wanted to hear what was going on. "Alice, a man is coming over." He said, "An old friend of mine." He said. "Who?" I asked, not sure of what he was talking about. "Dr. Lydgate is coming over." He said. I nodded, I knew Dr. Lydgate, and I knew he worked at an asylum. But I didn't think much of it, I knew he was a doctor, but I didn't know why he was talking about that. I just sat down in the library and read one of my Father's books. I was waiting until Dr. Lydgate showed up. When he did my Father welcomed him at the door, I did as well. "Alice?" He asked. "You're alive." He stated. I nodded, "Yes sir." I said, using my most polite voice. My Father told me to stay into the hallway, and Dr. Lydgate and him went inside.

My father and the doctor were discussing my statements behind the closed door. I peeked through the keyhole to see what they were discussing. I wasn't able to catch all of what they said, "...hookah smoking caterpillars, giant mushrooms." Dr. Lydgate said, unbelieving. I stared through the keyhole, maneuvering so I could see their faces. They looked as if they were having a fight. "What do you think I am? A fool. Why would she lie?" My Father said, defending me. "Your child, she's delusional. She's delusional." Dr. Lydgate said. "She's making it up?" My Father asked. "I can cure her of this." Dr. Lydgate said, as if I had some disease. "She isn't a liar." My Father said, trying in vain to defend me. "She is a liar." Dr. Lydgate responded. I pulled away from the door, "I'm not a liar." I said to myself, "It was real." If anybody had been out there, they would have seen my determined look. "And I'm going to prove it." I stated. I was sure that I would prove it to them. It may have been my first trip to Wonderland, but it wasn't going to be my last. I was going back to Wonderland, but I didn't know when.

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**Ok, so imagine little Alice doing everything, minus the romance between her and Cyrus. By the way, I'm not feeling that yet in OUaT in Wonderland. I hope this story gets better.**


	3. Chapter 3: BTPTND, 4 months later

**Necessary to Read before story!**

**This is super important!**

**Read all the way through!**

**PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH!**

**Ok, so here's now it's been going. I am tired of working so hard on these stories and nobody cares. I love writing, and I love posting it here, and I know people like my stories. But I want somebody to review them. I meant what I said in the authors note on Taken from Translation Chapter 3. I will stop writing if I don't get more reviews. I don't care what chapter or what story, but tell me what you honestly think about them, even if you think they suck.**

**I know that sounds harsh, but I'm sick and I really need to get reviews, like good reviews before I'm showing my friend where the review button is. I might keep working on my stories, but unless I get reviews, I'm not going to post anymore. Got it? So if you like my stories, and you want to keep reading them, then review. Even if you absolutely hate my stories, review them.**

**I'm sorry about all of that, and it took me a real long time write the romance between Alice and Cyrus out of the script.**

**By the way, who thinks Alice needs to have a childhood crush on one of the guys, I don't care who it is or if he's in Wonderland or Storybrooke, but tell me who and what you think of that idea. I would prefer if you would do that in review form by the way. The choices are everybody from Cyrus to Will to Henry from OUaT to Jefferson (That would be kind of creepy though, but I'll still do it because he's the first person that she trusted in Wonderland). I don't care but my friends are nagging me about how cold and calculating they think I am when it comes to romance. I'm trying to make them realize I just don't like the boys in my class because they're all jackasses who treat me horribly, and I don't mean the donkeys. I like donkeys, I don't like the 5 or so boys who try and make my life a living nightmare. So give me ideas about that. So it can be anyone from Wonderland or Storybrooke, but with Storybrooke it would happen later on because she'll only get to Storybrooke later. I am not waiting for the entire season/series to be over with. She's only going to be in Wonderland for a Month or Two.**

**By the way, Alice calls the Cheshire Cat, Cheshere, because that's what she named him. She just calls the White Rabbit, Rabbit, because she didn't give him a name and she doesn't know if he has a real name.**

**By the way, I am working on Taken from Translation Chapter 4. It's just taking me a long time, because a lots going to happen in a short amount of time and space, and wow this author's note is going to be longer than my actual chapter if I don't wrap this up. **

**But thank you for all of you that actually cared enough, or had enough time to review my stories.**

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Chapter 3: Back to present/the next day, 4 months later

It was only the next morning that he sent me away. He didn't think he could take me running away once again. He thought they could get something out of me that I didn't tell him. I tried to tell him that I already told him everything, but he wouldn't listen. He just wouldn't listen to me. He shipped me off the first chance he got, and I swore I would never forgive him. I didn't want to forgive him, and I knew that he didn't believe me. If he didn't believe me, then it was his own fault. If he didn't want his own daughter, then it was his own fault. It was his fault, not mine. The doctors at the asylum thought I was insane. They treated me that way, even though I was only 6 years old. I was 6 years old and 2 months, exactly. I got pretty good at keeping track of time. I got pretty good at kicking and punching and biting people that I didn't like. I felt accomplished each time I did that, and I only bit him once. But they were trying everything to make me know that Wonderland wasn't real, even though it was.

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It was nighttime in Storybrooke, Maine. A mysterious looking man walked casually down the main street of the town during a strong storm. He was walking right down the middle of the street. The nailed in signs looked as if they would blow off, the people were all tucked away or out of the storm, except for 4 people. That man and 3 other people were out in the storm. A yellow Volkswagen Beetle beeped at him trying to get him out of they, but swerved around the man as he was walking down the middle of the street, refusing to move out of Emma's way. He walked up to Ashley Boyd and Leroy who were locking up Granny's Diner. He was oblivious to what was going on around them. "Looks like you closed down the joint again, Leroy. You're really gunning for that customer of the week plaque." Ashley said. "It's win-win, Ashley. You get my mug on the wall, I finally get some—" The man walked past the two, bumping into Ashley to get to the diner. "Whoa. Sorry, brother. Closing time." Leroy said, using more politeness than he had in a while. He wasn't so grumpy at the time; the curse had just been lifted.

He had seen the man around before during and after the curse, but he didn't know who he was, in either world. "Yeah, looks like a storm's coming. You better find a place to keep dry." She said, looking right up at the windy skies. He didn't face them and Ashley and Leroy walked away. Once they were out of hearing distance, he spoke, "I'll get right on that." He said. The man swung the diner's keys in his hand. He unlocked the diner door and walked inside, closing it behind him. He took a mug and poured himself some coffee. He leaved money on the counter, a couple 1 dollar bills, but changed his mind and toke it back. Suddenly, the diner began to shake. He gripped the counter, trying not to fall, then there's a blast from the center of the diner. The smoke cleared and a white rabbit in a hat and suit stood next to the hole in the floor. "There you are." The White Rabbit said. "Bloody hell! What are you doing here?" The man said, clearing knowing who the Rabbit was. "I'll tell you on the way. We're late." The Rabbit said, motioning for him to follow. "I'm not interested in your important dates, Rabbit. Or your unimportant dates, for that matter." The man responded.

He was completely uncaring about what the Rabbit was talking about. But the Rabbit was persistent. "No, no, no, no. We're not late for something. We're late for someone." The Rabbit said. The man stopped arguing and just asked, "Who?" The Rabbit acted as if it was obvious who he was talking about. "Alice. She needs help. You're the Knave of Hearts. She needs you." He said. The Rabbit motioned for him to hurry up once again, but he was in shock. The Knave grew wide eyed. "Alice, why does Alice need our help?" He asked. "She's been locked up. Her Father put her in an asylum." The Rabbit said. "An asylum? She's 6 bloody years old!" He snapped. The Rabbit was shocked by his outburst. But they all knew the girl pretty well. She cared about everybody and believed nobody was beyond redemption. That was how she met the Knave, and that was why she didn't believe anybody was truly evil. She was naïve, but she was innocent. It was suspected of a young child, and she was nothing beyond that. Sure she had made adult decisions before, which is something a little girl should never have to do.

But she was still a little girl; she was just a little girl. "Who would do that to a child?!" The Rabbit shook his head, "Her Father would." He kept shaking his head. He tried to get to Alice himself, but he couldn't. He couldn't get through, and after all they had done to her, she would have thought that he was her imagination. "She told us that her Father thought she was crazy." The Knave muttered to himself, "Never should have let her leave." The Rabbit nodded. Nobody wanted to let her leave, but the Red Queen was intent on killing her, Alice had lost her genie, one of the few people who tried to protect her. From that moment forward, The Knave vowed to protect the little girl which helped him; he told her that he would help her no matter what the costs. And he swore to keep that promise, and he was going to keep that promise, even if it cost him his life. "Where are we going?" He asked, "1900 Victorian England, Bethlem Asylum." The Rabbit said. The Knave nodded, "What are we waiting for?" He asked. The Rabbit didn't say anything, he turned the hole back into a portal, and they jumped through. They were going to Victorian England, to save little Alice.

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A lot of my days were the exact same. But that day would be the change in game for me. I was being led down the hallway by two large guards. They were firm and uncaring, as they all had been in the 4 months I'd been there. Every day, they would try and make me believe that Wonderland didn't exist. But I knew it did, I knew Wonderland was real. But some days I would be called in front of their board of directors. I was only 6 ½, but they were trying to make me grow up. I had made more than 1 adult decision over my time in Wonderland, and even more at the asylum. They wanted to find a way to make me into a young adult, but I was only 6. I didn't understand why they hated the idea of magic so much. That day was one of those days, I was called in front of the board of directors and they were trying to make me believe that Wonderland wasn't real. I was so tired of all of them that I didn't listen at all. I was paying attention to a little bit of what they were saying. I heard the question that they were asking.

"Answer the question, please." Dr. Lydgate asked. I didn't respond to them. "Alice! Alice..." He yelled, trying to get my attention. I didn't show any emotion when I finally said, "I don't remember." I lied, hoping they would finally leave me alone, finally send me home. I wanted to go home so I could get back to Wonderland. I would rather be hunted by the Red Queen than be in an asylum. "Oh, I think you do. It's been 4 months now and you have been quite clear in your statements. An invisible cat, a hookah smoking caterpillar, food and drink capable of altering your physical form, a murderous Red Queen. And you encountered all these things by literally falling down a rabbit hole. Hearing it out loud, it all sounds quite preposterous, wouldn't you agree, Alice?" He asked. "Yes." I weakly agreed. It did sound preposterous, but it was still true. "Good. Just a few more questions and maybe this time we can send you home. Now when your father finally brought you to us, he was at his wits end. It wasn't just your multiple disappearances that had taken a toll; it was your ludicrous explanation. That you had been searching for proof of this place, this Wonderland. Where you had miraculous, strange, and terrifying adventures. Do you still believe that to be true?" He asked.

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I was hiding under a mushroom as the caterpillar smoked above me. I pulled off a bit of mushroom and then ran off. "Hey, that's mine! Give it back." The Caterpillar yelled as I ran by. "Halt! She's heading into the maze! By order of the Queen, stop! Don't let her get away!" I heard the guards yell behind me. The maze was the old Queen of Hearts maze. She hadn't been Queen for about 2 weeks. The new queen, the Red Queen had taken over. She had briefly been Cora's student in magic, and then when she disappeared, she took over Wonderland. She then decided to make a new man Knave of Hearts. She completely remade the court, as they were all still loyal to Cora. As I headed into the maze I stopped to take a bite of the mushroom and placed the rest in my messenger bag. When I continued to run from them I started to shrink. "Where's the girl? Has anyone seen her? I thought she went this way." I heard the soldiers yell. I was tossed to the side when the soldiers ran past me.

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The doctors, or Dr. Lydgate to be more specific, continued asking me questions, even though I was in a daze, remembering everything I went through in Wonderland. As that one part of the memory was ending I could hear Dr. Lydgate trying to get my attention. "Alice? Alice. Alice!" Dr. Lydgate yelled. I pulled myself out of the daze. "No. It wasn't true. I never left England." I said. I was as emotionless as I could be, wanting it all to end. But I was unsure if I really did leave England. I didn't know where Wonderland really was. "So you just made it all up. Why? For attention? Well, you certainly got it, didn't you? The question we have to answer today is, which is the real performance? A little girl with tales of tea parties and barbaric queens. Or the older girl who says it was just her imagination." Dr. Lydgate asked, waiting to see if I would crack. "That little girl was a fool." I said, speaking the truth. I was naïve and I trusted people I never should have. "And the older girl?" He asked, prompting me while the others just watched on. "She knows what really happened." I said.

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I waited for the rest of the soldiers to pass; they were nowhere near running over me anymore. I picked myself up from the ground and decided to hide in a bottle that lay by the side of the path. I was out of options, and I decided that was my best chance. I could have grown, but that would only make me get caught faster. I climbed through the opening of the bottle and looked around. "What are you doing in my bottle?!" I heard a booming voice yell. I turned to face the man, "Turn me in and I get big!" I said, mustering all the courage that I had. I took a red liquid in a bottle from my messenger bag. "Right here, right now I'll burst your house into a million shiny pieces." I said, being as confident as I could be. "We wouldn't want that now, would we? A good bottle is so hard to find these days." He took a step forward, only for me to step back. "My name is Cyrus. My home is your home." He said kindly. "Now what's your name, little one?" He asked. I placed the bottle back in my bag and looked up at him. "Alice." I said in a small voice. "Well, hello Alice." He said, holding out his hand for me to shake. I shook his hand.

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The doctors continued to ask me questions, but I wasn't paying attention to them anymore, as if I had ever paid any attention to them. I paid attention to the rough nurses, and Dr. Lydgate, but never to them. I was looking right through them, I was seeing Wonderland again. I was seeing my home again. I wanted to be back in Wonderland, with my friends and the people I learned to trust, like Cyrus, The Rabbit, Cheshere, and Will. Dr. Lydgate waited until I shook myself out of the daze. "When you finally resurfaced, you claimed to be in this Wonderland. Can you tell us where you really were?" He asked. I didn't know what to say. But I told them the truth, "With a friend." I said plainly, not going into any detail. I didn't know how I was going to make up any details. "Where?" He asked, as all the other doctors wrote down everything I had said. They didn't seem to realize that I was lying to them, I was telling them everything I could make up.

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I was still standing inside the bottle. I didn't know what else to do, I didn't trust him yet. I had to know if I could trust Cyrus. He was telling me about the last place he got to call home. "Agrabah sounds beautiful." I said. It sounded amazing. He nodded, "I hope one day to see it again. What place do you call home?" He asked. "England." I said, though I wasn't sure why I was opening up to him. I told what I was telling him to The Rabbit, Will, and Cheshere. "Although it hasn't exactly felt like home, lately." I said. He nodded, "So we're both strangers in this most strange land." He said. "Strange is one word for it." I said, telling the truth. It was many, many different things. "Wondrous." Cyrus said. "Dangerous." I added, as they both were true. "I sense that you can take care of yourself." He said. I nodded and smiled, "And you have to go back to your land soon?" He said. "Well, I do have what I came for." I said. I did, and I had kidnapped one of my friends to do that, but I had proof. "Which is what?" Cyrus asked. "Proof that all of this is real." I said, gesturing around. I pulled out the White Rabbit out of my bag. I grabbed him by the ears and he was struggling and scratching at me. "Proof? You want proof. Come here and I'll give you proof." He said in the most threatening manner that he could. "No you won't." I said, knowing he would never actually hurt me. "A talking white rabbit with a jacket and trousers." Cyrus said.

"No one can say I imagined that." I said as I shoved him back in my bag. "Yes, that much is said. So tell me Alice, who is this proof for? You've risked much to come back here. Is it… a betrothal?" He asked. I looked at him quizzically. "No. It's no one like that. I'm only 6 years old." I said. "That's how it works where I'm from. But that's good." He said. I didn't understand, "Good?" I asked, tilting my head. He seemed at a loss for words. "I-I just mean that you're not separated from somebody that you love or who cares about you. That would be a terrible fate." He said. "Yes, that would. The proof is for my father, actually. He thinks I'm insane." I said, telling him the truth. "Really? So you're risking your life for someone who doesn't believe in you. You know, when you really love someone you don't need proof. You can feel it." He said; I shook my head. "Maybe where you're from. But in my land I'd wish things would..." I started. He cut me off. "You'd wish things would what? You found my bottle, Alice. Anything is possible. Mistress mine. My will is thine. Tell me your wishes three." He said. I finally understood what he meant, "You're my genie now." I stated. He just nodded.

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I still sat there and waited for more questions. I knew Dr. Lydgate would always have more questions. No matter what there would be more questions. "Alice, if you wish to be released from this facility you need to—" He started. My eyes widened and I focused on him for the first time, "I don't wish for anything!" I snapped. All the doctors looked up and then wrote that down on their charts. I realized that I made a big mistake. I just disproved everything that I tried to build up. I prayed that Dr. Lydgate would let it slide, but he didn't. "this have to do something with the genie you believed you met?" He asked, taunting me with it. "You told your father that you set him free. That the two of you traveled from world to world with several friends. Fighting pirates, swimming with mermaids. And then, you said that he was one of the few who vowed to protect you, that he would give you the wishes even though you said you'd never use them. Are you ready to admit that was a lie as well?" He asked. I didn't say anything.

* * *

We made promises, and we kept them. Our team kept promises that would and could never be broken. We promised that we would help and take care of each other. No matter how corny it sounds, that's what happened. I was standing on a cliff with Cyrus. He promised to take me on a wonderful journey, and he did. We went to more worlds than just Wonderland, and all under one month. It wasn't just me and Cyrus, but there was also Will, The Rabbit, a miniaturized version of Cheshere. Everybody else still called him the Cheshire Cat, but Cheshere was his name. But they didn't want to see the Boiling Sea; they said it was too frightening. I didn't think it was frightening, I thought it was breathtaking. "Curiouser, Curiouser." I said, not caring that it wasn't a word. "I've heard of the Boiling Sea but in person, it's even more amazing." I stated. "As are you." Cyrus said, "When I heard stories of the Alice who fought the Queen of Hearts, who threatened the Red Queen, and did everything dangerous and exiting in Wonderland, I thought she would be older; not a 6 year old girl. That's why I didn't think you were the Alice from those tales." He said.

I looked over the edge of the cliff and almost fell but Cyrus caught me and set me back down 2 feet from where I was standing. "Be careful." He said, scolding me. I just smiled. "I never met a human quite like you, Alice." He said. "I never met a genie quite like you. Well, actually I've never met a genie." I said quietly. He didn't say anything for a while so I just spoke again. "You're one of the few people in Wonderland that's actually tried to protect me from the Red Queen. Almost everybody else is ready to turn me into her." I said. It was the truth. I looked back over the edge, and I saw bubbles popping up. "Okay." He said, plainly. I was confused; I didn't know what he was doing. He seemed to be thinking of something to say. "Oh, forgive me, I'm not used to—I was always the one granting the wishes not making them." He said. "Making them? What?" I said. I didn't understand what he was talking about; everybody else seemed to be avoiding me a little bit. I was afraid they were going to abandon me for a while, but I had to keep reminding myself that they promised that they weren't going to abandon me.

"For one hundred years I was tethered to a bottle. A slave to the faulty dreams of man and all that time I only had one wish: To never be a prisoner ever again. But now, I have another. To protect you, as you are one of the only people who wanted to wish my free. Alice, we have been making plans." He said. "What kind of plans?" I asked. He took a deep breath and started his speech. "About a month ago you said you wanted proof of Wonderland so your Father wouldn't think you're insane. One of the plans we made was that Cheshire Cat, and The Rabbit would go through with you, so you'd have proof of Wonderland. We would all go through with you, but the Knave and I would return after you had your proof." He stated. I nodded as I thought it was a good plan. "What's the other plan?" I asked. "Alice, the other plan was more of a pact." He said, "We promised that we would keep you safe no matter what would happen, no matter where you were or how far from now it is." I nodded and smiled.

I couldn't believe that it was really happening, like everything else in Wonderland. "Thank you, thank you, thank you Cyrus, thank you." I said over and over. "Don't just thank me." He said, "Thank the others as well." I lit up at that response. "Is that why the others didn't want to come?" I asked. He nodded, "They said since I was your genie, I needed to tell you the news." I hugged him as tightly as I could. "Alice, as soon as you refused to make your wishes, our fates became entwined. Even though you don't want your wishes, if you ever do, you can have them." He stated, I nodded, "Ok Cyrus." I said. "And from now on I will know when you are near. And you will know—" He couldn't finish his sentence. We heard marching in the distance. We knew it was the Red Queen's army, and we knew she was after me. "Alice, run!" He yelled, but it was too late, they were closing in on us. But by that point it was already too late, we were surrounded by her guards.

* * *

Dr. Lydgate continued talking to me. "When your father found you, you were inconsolable. You said the one of your best friends was gone. Murdered by some—" He said. I cut him off, "No. It's not what I said and that was not true. I was inconsolable when I came back because he tried to hit—" I said, and he wouldn't listen to it. "Alice, you were an ignored little girl who wanted to be loved so you created a fantasy land full of characters who would help you become who you wanted to be. Tall, brave, beautiful. You wouldn't be the first child to do this. You're just the first to get older and still believe it was real." He said. I couldn't help but feel angry as the last time I went to Wonderland was only 6 months ago, but I could tell he was talking about the first time, a year ago. "No... I don't believe it anymore." I said, shaking my head. "We know you're lying." Dr. Lydgate said, shocking me, "You still cry out for them in your sleep." He stated, "What?" I asked, shocked. I didn't know that I did that. "In your sleep. Every night, it's the same. You cry out for Cyrus, Will, Cheshere, Rabbit." He said. My eyes widened, I knew they had me there. There was nothing I could say to change any of that.

* * *

The soldiers were closing in on us, and I didn't know what to do. Cyrus was trying to hide me from them, while keeping me from falling off the cliff. "Alice, try and run past them." He whispered. But I shook my head; I wasn't going to run away. I took out my knife and Cyrus took out his weapons and we ready to fight. Behind the soldiers was the Red Queen, somebody I once thought I could trust. "Sorry to interrupt." She said with mock innocence. "Sometimes you really make me mad." I snapped, "Oh Alice," She said, "You were already mad." She used my own words against me and I lunged towards them. We battled the soldiers but there was too many of them and we were overcome. The soldiers dragged Cyrus away while other people held me down. I screamed as loud as I possibly could, hoping somebody would come and help us. I didn't know where the others were, and I wished they would show up. "Mind if I borrow him?" The Queen asked. I struggled to get away, but one of the soldiers just cuffed me to make me stop struggling. But I didn't. "Cyrus! No, Cyrus!" I yelled as I tried to pull away.

One of the soldiers pulled a large knife on me. I screamed and Cyrus tried even harder to break away from them. "Alice!" He yelled as the man was about to stab me. Cyrus broke free and fought off the soldiers. The one with the knife went towards Cyrus with it. There were 2 others who continued to hold me down. But he got to them too, he killed them, or knocked them out. I wasn't sure. I didn't have a lot of time to think. He seemed to forget about the queen for a second and he walked towards me. Then the Queen with a wave of her hand magically pushed Cyrus over the cliff-edge. "Oops." She said, causing me to scream bloody murder. "Cyrus!" I yelled. I crawled over just to see Cyrus disappear out of my sight. "Cyrus." I whispered, not knowing what else to do. The Queen just stood there, "Now Alice, why don't you come with me?" She asked. I stood up, tears stinging my eyes. My hand clenched around the dagger, "Never." I said my voice small but firm. I was struggling not to cry, "I'll never go with you. I'll never trust you again!" She didn't show any emotion as I ranted.

"I swear I'm going to make you pay for hurting the people I care about. I swear I'm going to make you pay no matter what it takes." I said, and I meant it too. She waved her hand and I heard more soldiers approach. I bolted through the entrance as quickly as I could. I could hear her yell, "Follow her!" I ran as fast as I could, hoping I could find somebody who could help me. "Will." I yelled, "Will." My voice was shrill as I called out for help. "Will!" I yelled. I ducked and ran around the fallen trees. "Will!" I screamed. He ran out of the hut we had been staying in as I came running through the field. "They're coming! They found us!" I yelled. I was running straight for him and he scooped me up off the ground. "Pack it up!" He called to the Rabbit. He set me down inside the house and handed Cheshere to me, then went to help him. As he was doing that he asked, "Alice where's Cyrus?" He asked. "She killed him. She knocked him into the Boiling Sea." I whined. Will looked over at me, "We need to get her out of here." He said to the Rabbit. "She needs to leave now."

* * *

The interview wasn't over yet. Dr. Lydgate had something else to say to me. He didn't have any more questions for me. "Alice." He said, getting my attention. "We have a new procedure that can take away your pain. Make you forget whatever, or whomever you're holding onto. One treatment and it all just slips away." He said, coming to kneel beside my chair. I had started crying, all the memories were too tough for me not to cry. "Does it hurt?" I whispered after a moment of silence. Dr. Lydgate seemed to come up with an answer. "A little. But far less than the pain you're in right now." He said. One of the other doctors handed him a clipboard, which he then passed to me with a pen. He set it right in front of me on the table. "Just sign here." He said, still kneeling beside me. I sat there for a second, not knowing if I should or not. But he said it would be less pain than what I was in, he said that it would be better. I also knew that even though Wonderland existed, I would never find my way out of there in less I signed that. I did it, as I didn't think I could take it much longer. The memories were too much for me. "Good girl." He said, taking if from me and patting my head. "Now go get some sleep." He said, letting me stand up out of my seat, "Tomorrow your life begins anew." I nodded, and they led me back to my cell.

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**What do you think? The next chapter is under way, and I was hoping to make this a one shot when I first started it, because I thought it would give me inspiration for Taken from Translation. It did, but I had to make it longer.  
**


	4. Chapter 4: The next morning

**Ok, so by the way, little Alice is going to do or say most of what adult Alice did.**

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Chapter 4: The next morning

* * *

Alice was lying on her bed in a padded room, they thought she was such a danger to everyone, they didn't dare put her in a metal cell, yet her door was made of metal and so was her bed, her bed was a 6 inch mattress, on a metal platform. She was calling out for her friends in her sleep. "Cyrus." She said; the first name. "Will." She said; the second name. "Rabbit." She said; the third name. "Cheshere." She said; the fourth and final name. She started calling out for them again, and again, and again, all in the same order, and with a pattern to it. It was the exact same every night, she would call out to them until she was woken up by the nurses or the doctors. Meanwhile, Dr. Lydgate was preparing for the operation. He was making sure the tools were in a good condition, though the tools looked barbaric, and it seemed like it would do more damage than good on a little girl's head. "It's time. Fetch the girl." Dr. Lydgate said. He didn't care if it would hurt; he just wanted to be able to send her back to her Father. The man was very persistent, and he wanted to know everything his daughter said, did, touched, looked at, and everything in between. The nurses went off to go get the little girl from her room.

* * *

I was having dreams of Wonderland, like I always did. They were always the same. The day I first came to Wonderland, when I met the Mad Hatter, when I met the Queen of Hearts, when I met Cheshere, when I met Will and Anastasia, when I met Cyrus, and that night I left Wonderland for what I thought was for good. I thought I heard a noise, and that woke me up. I sat up, believing that I'd hear the noise again. I searched around and looked through the small window in the door. I didn't see anything and I heard nothing but silence. I laid back down, hoping to get some more sleep before it was time for the operation. Suddenly, the door lock rattled and I looked up at it again. But I couldn't see anybody. "Would you at least give me time to get dressed?" I said harshly, believing it to be the guards or nurses ready to take me out of there. I sat up and got off the bed. I thought my thoughts of Wonderland would be over. Then the door flew open, I was surprised to see who it was. I never thought I'd see any of them again, I never thought I could prove them.

It was the Knave of Hearts, Will. My eyes widened, "You." I whispered, not sure what else to say. "You?! That's what I get. You?" He asked, accusingly. "W—Will." I struggled to say anything, but I mouthed his name. "Well, nice to see you too, Alice." He said; his usual personality. He didn't seem to see what I did; if he did he wasn't saying anything about it. "What are you doing here?" I asked, not listening to what he was saying. "Right, come now. We have to go." He said. "Go?" I whispered to myself. I was starting to listen to the doctors. "No, you're not real." I whispered. I could see his heart break when I said that. It hurt him to see me so terrified of him. "Oh, I'm very real." He said softly, "And we must leave now. I've cleared some of the guards so we should be able to get out." I kept on shaking my head. "No, I can't. I can't." I said, trying to keep distance between us. "Alice, you need to listen to me." He said. But I wouldn't have it, "No, I'm not going anywhere." I said. I was making him angry, "Why must you always be so bloody stubborn?" He said. Then I heard the guards behind him. "There he is." One of them said.

Most of the guards went for him, and one went for me. "Hey, I didn't do anything." I snapped, trying to get out of his grip. "It's true. I mean if she'd be a least bit helpful, we'd be gone by now." He said, struggling against them. One of them twisted his arm. "Ow!" He yelled. I still couldn't believe that he was there; I didn't believe that he was there. "Get him out of here." I whispered, hoping I would wake up or it would prove to be a hallucination. "Alice, no! You know me. Remember." He yelled, gripping onto the door frame as tightly as he could. They were pulling him as hard as they could, 6 of them. He was the man I remembered from Wonderland. I knew it was him, but I knew what would happen. "I don't want to remember. I want to forget." I snapped. The nurse was holding me back with ease; I was terrified of what was going on. I knew if I said that I remembered they would do bad things to me. I didn't want anything worse than the operation to happen to me. "Alice, it's me. It's Will! Listen to me." He said, pulling against them as hard as he could.

"No!" I said; I couldn't believe it. I knew he was there but I didn't want to believe it. I knew bad things would happen to the both of us if I said that yes or that I remembered. "They're alive! The Rabbit saw them. Cyrus! He's alive. So's the Cheshire Cat, he's still in the woods. He escaped from her, Cyrus did too." He said. I froze, "That's impossible." I said. The guard looked down at me, worried. "You know as well as I do, Alice. Nothing is impossible in Wonderland." He said, knowing he broke through the daze. One of the guards punched him in the stomach, causing him to release the doorframe. The other guard went to help them take him off. I didn't know what to do. I pulled my knife from under my mattress. I jumped at the guard and stabbed him in the leg with it. He smacked at me and I dodged out of the way. I jumped up to my shelf and grabbed my dress and shoes. He fended the other guards off as well as he could, knocking one into the doorframe and punching the other one in the face. I kicked the guard in the face and hit him with the side of the metal bed. When all of the guards were knocked out I slipped my shoes on and ushered him out for a second so I could get dressed.

It didn't take me more than a minute and I was walking beside him down the hall. He didn't know the hallways as well as I did, so I was leading us out of the building. "Was that you're idea of a rescue?" I asked, "Or are you still just really bad at this?" He glared at me, but responded. "I didn't know there would be a rescue until a short while ago. I didn't know where you were and I didn't have much time to plan—" He started rambling. I ran ahead. "Right, let's go then." He said, running after me. When we got to the end of the hallway, we went down the stairs onto the first floor. "You're late. What a surprise." The Rabbit said. But he lit up when he saw that I was with him. "To you, everybody's late." I said, pointing out the truth. "True. I do have high standards. Nice world you got here." He said. "What the hell is this stuff? It's pretty hard on the paws." He said, pointing down at the ground. Some guards ran past in the hallway across from the one were in. Dr. Lydgate followed them and he spotted me and Will. He looked at me in shock, and then back at Will, but he focused on me.

"Alice! Stop. Don't do this. I can help you to get better." He said, starting to come towards us. I just stood there, knowing he would be shocked if he came any closer to us. I was unsure whether to just run, or stay and prove to them once and for all that I wasn't insane. The White Rabbit walked out from behind the wall where he had been standing. "Are we really going to stand here and listen to this guy?" He said. He just stood there in shock, staring at Rabbit. "Seeing things, doctor? I hear there's a procedure for that." I said coldly. The 3 of us ran out of the asylum's back door and into the hustle of the city. "What do we do now?" I asked. The people didn't even seem to notice us. "We run." He said. We started running through the city. He pushed people and things out of the way as police officers and guards chased up down. "Look out. Out of the way!" The Rabbit yelled, but nobody seemed to notice him. "Out of my way." An angry police officer yelled. We ran into an alleyway hoping that it was an escape but it was a dead end. "Oh, no." The Rabbit said. "We'll be finished, for sure." Will said, just standing there. "No, we won't." I said, knowing an escape. "They're coming." He said. "Rabbit?!" I said nervously. I knew if he didn't do it now we would be trapped.

"Here? Couldn't we find somewhere with softer ground, like a field?" The Rabbit started rambling. "Dig!" The both of us yelled. "Alright!" He snapped. The Rabbit made a rabbit hole on the wall by using his finger. "Here goes." He said, jumping in. I walked over to the hole, and I was about to jump in. "What are you waiting for?" I asked, as he was still standing there. "Alice, I didn't exactly leave that place on good terms." He said, looking between me and the exit nervously. "Neither did I but if Cyrus and Cheshere are—" He cut me off. "Then you have to go, not me! The plan was to take you back with me to Storybrooke, not to Wonderland. The Rabbit told me I had to tell you about Cyrus and the cat." He said. I looked at him in shock. "So you weren't going to take me back?" I asked. He shook his head, "Of course not. It's not safe for you in Wonderland, you know that. The Rabbit said you needed help, then he told me how he saw them." He said. I marched right up to him. He seemed surprised that I didn't try and slap him, even though I was way too short to do any actual damage.

"Listen, _Knave_." I said, putting emphasis on that name, I knew he hated it and that's why I called him that. He cringed; I had stopped calling him that long ago, and said I never would again. But I was angry, and I took that out on him by not calling him Will. He knew me, and I knew him. He and Cyrus once took care of me, and now it was my turn to take care of them. Even if that meant forcing them to do something they absolutely hated. "Once, long ago, I got you back your heart. Now, you need to repay that favor by helping me get back _our_ friends." I said. He looked down; he did promise to repay me eventually, and they were our friends. The police officers drew closer to us, it was a miracle they hadn't got there yet, or that they portal was still open. "Or you could take your chances with them." I said, staring him down. I was intimidating for a 6 year old, or that's what they always told me. He shook his head. "Bloody hell." He muttered, then took a step towards me, "Alright, then." He almost growled out. He grabbed my hand and walked with me up to the portal. The cops were starting to follow us. "Next stop: Wonderland!" He said. We jumped through the portal, and we weren't in London anymore.

* * *

**Ok, so this was shorter. But there's going to be a new chapter soon.**


	5. Chapter 5: Return to Wonderland

**What do you think, cause I worked hard on this, I'm getting inspiration for this, though it's mostly script, just not Taken from Translation.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Return to Wonderland

We were falling through the portal faster than I thought we would. That was because that portal was in the sky, not on the ground. The Rabbit landed upon the dock while the two of us landed on the soft marsh. We were bouncing until were found our balance. It took him a while longer, and knocked me down by his jumping. It was fun, but it wasn't time for fun, it was time to find my friends. "Hm, humans." The Rabbit said, snapping his watch closed. "I hate... this bloody... place!" Will said, trying to stop bouncing. "Careful, Knave." He cringed again. "We've landed in the Mallow Marsh." I said, finding my balance finally. It was easier for me because I was smaller than he was. "Of course, we did. Because a pond made out dessert topping makes perfect sense." He said, trying to take a step and making me fall again. "Sorry Alice." He said. We both had shaky balance on the marsh. "Come on! Shake a leg. Shake two legs." The Rabbit said, laughing. The two of us walked towards the dock, trying to keep balance.  
"Ugh, what a mess." He said. I stopped a few steps from the dock, and Will did the same. "Okay, Rabbit. Where are Cyrus and Cheshere? Tell us where you saw them." I said.

He grew nervous, "Well, I didn't exactly see him." He said sheepishly. He turned to Will, "Did you tell her I saw them?" He asked. "That is what you said." Will pointed out. "Well, it was a figure of speech." The Rabbit tried to explain. I was growing worried, so he didn't really didn't see my friends. "Nope! I'm pretty sure it wasn't." Will yelled. I could tell he wasn't happy for being dragged on another wild goose chase in Wonderland. "What I meant was I was having tea with the Dormouse and he said that he saw them." The Rabbit said, to me it sounded like he was making up an alibi. "So we came all the way here on the word of a narcoleptic rodent." Will stated. I still wanted to hear the story, in case the Dormouse was telling the truth. "Ignore him, Rabbit. Go on." I said. Will glared at me for edging him on. "He said Cyrus and Cheshere were at the Mad Hatter's old place. Chesh wonders around the woods most of the time though. But the house, it's abandoned. The Hatter, he hasn't been in Wonderland for quite some time." The Rabbit pointed out. I nodded, so I wouldn't be seeing the Mad Hatter. I didn't know how long he'd been gone, but he wasn't there towards the end of my last visit.

Time was strange in Wonderland, it was impossible to know what time you'd wind up in when you left. That's why it seemed longer for my Father than it did for me. It was 6 months' worth of time, but it was 5 years for him. "And he ain't never coming back! He's found himself a nice little life back in a place where I was making mine." Will yelled, a dragonfly came up and blew fire in his face. "A place I might add, where the dragonflies aren't actually dragons!" I noticed something was different, the Rabbit and I were about the same height, now he was taller than me, not by much but it was noticeable. "Rabbit, are you getting taller?" Will asked, noticing it too. "Quite possibly. That kind of thing happens quite a lot around here." The Rabbit said. Then the 3 of us looked down, we were sinking into the marsh. "We're sinking." He said. He struggled to loosen himself from the marsh. "I can't move me feet." He said, struggling even more. I sighed, and didn't move. I wasn't sinking as quickly as he was, I weighed less than he did, so I was staying above the marsh more than he was.

"Rabbit, where is it? Where's the Hatter's house?" I asked quickly. "Where else? The Tulgey Woods." The Rabbit said, as if it was obvious. I hadn't been there in a long time, and the Hatter never told me where it was. "Knave," He cringed again, "We need to get out of here." I said. "Really?" He asked sarcastically. I stared at him; sarcasm wasn't going to get us anywhere. "Ah, everything's gonna be fine. I'll just, ah, ah, ah. I'll go get help. Don't worry! Everything's gonna work out just fine." The Rabbit rambled. He pointed behind him and ran in that direction. Will was struggling, and was stinking a lot faster than he should have. "Stop moving! We'll just sink faster." I snapped. He was almost neck deep in the marsh. "Oh, because a slow death is so much more pleasant." He said, "This is humiliating. I'm gonna die like a bloody s'more." He whined. "A what?" I asked, confused. He stopped struggling for a minute, "It's biscuits and chocolate and you get toasted marshmallow—never mind. The point is we're gonna die." He said. "Will, that's brilliant!" I said, happy with him for once.

He seemed to visibly light up when I called him Will instead of Knave. I grabbed for one of the dragonflies hovering above us and squeezed it to get it to breathe fire. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" He snapped, up to his neck by that point. "I'm making a sore." I said, not sure if I said that right. "S'mores!" He yelled. "Whatever." I said, moving the dragonfly back and forth until it became brown. "I don't see how this is going to work." He muttered. "See." I said, letting go of the dragonfly. The marsh had become solid enough to walk on. He looked down at it, amazed. "Come on." I said. I grabbed his hand out of the marsh and he gripped the burnt area, and we pulled ourselves out. Moments later we were on the dock cleaning ourselves up. It was a lot harder than I thought to get marshmallow off a dress. "Yuck." I said, wiping the last of it off of my dress. "Where's that Rabbit?" He asked, whacking his jacket on the side of the dock, trying to get the last of the marshmallow off. "It's getting late and I'm planning on sleeping in me own bed tonight." He said. I looked at him in shock.

"You can't leave. We haven't found Chesh or Cyrus—" I started. He cut me off, "Chesh and Cyrus. Exactly. You heard what the Rabbit said, he never even saw them. If I'd known that I wouldn't have done any of this. I mean, for all we know they aren't even alive." He said. I stared him down, hoping to change his opinion. "What if they are?" I asked, my voice quiet. He looked at me sadly, "Alice. I left Wonderland because I did a lot of bad things here. You know that, you were a big part of some of them. A lot of people want to see me dead. They have their reasons. And to be honest, they're good reasons. I left this place for a future I'm keen to see. And you want me to risk all that for a hunch. You're going to risk your own life for a hunch." He said, exasperated. "What about the team, Will?" I asked. He looked at me like I'd lost my mind, "We were a team! We can't just forget that and give up now!" He was a little bit away, as if to keep calm. "I can pay you." I said, my last resort. He turned back around and faced me. He had an idea about what I was talking about, but he still said, "How? You don't have anything to pay me, Alice." He said. I looked down and reached into my apron pocket.

There was a small pouch beside the sheathed knife. "That's not entirely true. I have something better than money." I took out the pouch and poured it into my hand. "Wishes." I said. In my hand, I held three tiny diamonds, which represented my wishes. "I don't get it. Why don't you just use them to bring Cyrus and Chesh back?" He asked. I didn't know how to word it, but I knew that Cyrus explained it to me in his complicated way. "Wishes can be... unpredictable. If I use one to bring Cyrus back, he might arrive... hanging from a tree with a noose around his neck. Chesh could come back as something else, or with the same fate. See, with wishes sometimes there's literally a string attached." I said. I wanted to just stop and find them already. "Then one just has to be careful what they wish for. Make it consequence proof. Yeah, I can do that." He said, nodding. I cracked a smile, one that had become increasingly rare, "So does that mean you'll stay?" I asked hopefully. He nodded, "We find Cyrus, I get a wish. Anything I want. Then I take you back to Storybrooke." He said. I was confused; he didn't mention what Storybrooke was. But I didn't ask about it yet.

"Just get me to Tulgey Woods." I said, placing the wishes back in the pouch, and the pouch back in my apron pocket. I closed my hand around the knife, hoping I wouldn't need it, or at least yet. I didn't know how I hid it from them, but I did, they didn't check my dress, and it was a miracle. But they probably didn't think that my apron would have a hidden pocket in the back of it. "You're ready to believe the Rabbit, then?" He asked, hoping that I would change my mind. He didn't want me to get my hopes up when there was a good possibility that it wasn't true. "I know you have your doubts, but yes, I believe the Rabbit." I said. I believed the Rabbit because he was my friend, I trusted him. I didn't think he would ever lie to me. As we started walking, I couldn't contain my curiosity. "So what exactly is Storybrooke?" I asked. "See, Alice, it's this town. All the fairytale creatures and people you've ever heard about and more live there." He said, explaining it to his best ability. "Really?" I asked. He nodded. "So tell me more." I said, eager to hear more stories of the magical town. And so he began.

* * *

The Rabbit was running, farther away than he'd need to for help. He continued to run, and run, and run. He saw the shape of familiar people, the Red Queen's soldiers. They all stepped to the side to make way for the Queen who exited from her carriage with the assistance of Tweedledee and Tweedledumb, her two assistants. "Oh no." The Rabbit said, making an attempt to back up. "There you are, Rabbit." The soldier said. The soldier picked him up by the ears and the Rabbit struggled. "Oh, my ears. Agh." He cried, trying to escape. The soldier presented him before the Queen. "Your Majesty, I can explain." He said, struggling to find an explanation. "You're late." She said, mirroring his favorite words. "I know, I know. I-I'm so sorry. I came as soon as I could." He said, struggling against the soldier even more. The Red Queen just smiled at him. Then he was placed in her carriage, they were heading back to the castle. The Rabbit had some explaining to do.

"So you told Alice what you heard?" The Red Queen asked. "Yes, that Cyrus was alive." He said, careful to leave out the part of the Cheshire Cat. She didn't know that he was still alive. Then he wondered if she would answer his questions, "Is he?" He asked quietly. "I'll be the one asking questions." She said, causing him to scurry back. He didn't want to give his friends away, but he had no choice. "Ah, right, right. So this makes us all square then. You said if I got her here then I—I'd get—" He started, the queen didn't let him finish. "I said, we'll settle when the game was complete. We are still setting up the board." She said, as if it was all one big game, causing a little girl to return to Wonderland. "Now, as for your friend, Alice, I need you to report everything she does. Where she goes. Who she talks to. What she is thinking. I need more than my eyes, I need your ears. And you will either help me, darling...or decorate this room. Understood?" She said. The Rabbit reluctantly nodded. "Yes, your Majesty." He said, trying not to start sobbing. "Now leave." She demanded. The Rabbit left, to return to Alice, still sobbing.

* * *

**Well, is it good? I think it should be.**


End file.
